


Grammar Is a System of Language Involving Syntax and Semantics

by Dolston17



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: 3 times + 1, F/M, Gen, I'm writing this instead of preparing for the SAT and my boards!!, Intentionally Bad Spelling & Grammar, Spelling & Grammar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:27:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27818260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dolston17/pseuds/Dolston17
Summary: 3 times someone's grammar bothered Amy (and one time it didn't).Title from Season 3, Episode 7 - The Mattress
Relationships: Amy Santiago & Everyone, Amy Santiago/Teddy Wells, Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago
Comments: 25
Kudos: 44





	Grammar Is a System of Language Involving Syntax and Semantics

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I'm supposed to be preparing for the SAT and my boards, so I may be wasting time here, but I want to write this so bad. The idea came to me when I was preparing for the Reading & Writing section of the SAT, and I thought to myself - 'Who even cares about all these structures?' Of course, I realized Amy Santiago does, and Holt, too, but Amy came to mind first. So, this is what you have.

**1**

It's a big day for Amy; it's her first day of school. Her dad dropped her off earlier this morning, making sure she didn't fuss at any moment. She didn't, though. She actually has been looking forward to school for the past week. From what she's understood, she's going to be in a room with other kids and they're going to learn stuff. If that doesn't sound fun enough, they get to take tests and other mini competitions both inside and outside the class. That's exactly how she is at home with her brothers, so she was excited after learning that school would be the same. Perhaps the only exception is that the other kids are of her age, and that she won't be the youngest.

'This is it, mija,' Victor says at the door of what seems to be her classroom.

She's curious to see what's it like inside, so she takes a peak. Amy can see other kids already there. Some are crying, some are laughing. Some are clinging onto their parents, while some have already made new friends. It confuses little Amy, and she looks up to face her father.

'They're crying inside,' she states, hoping to get a clarification.

'Yes, but there's nothing we can do about that.'

'Why not?'

Victor sighs at those words as he kneels down to meet his daughter's eye level. He knows how it's probably confusing for a little kid, after all he was asked the same question by her brothers, too, when it was their first days at school. 

'Mija, you're excited for school, aren't you?' he asks.

'Yeah!' she exclaims, answering with the same enthusiasm she's had all week.

'Amy, what did we talk about before leaving?' he asks sternly.

It's moments like these that Amy absolutely hates. There's just something in the way he says her name in that deep, serious voice of his that could scare her entirely. Of course, it's not as if he always uses that tone with her, but when he does, she knows she's made a mistake.

'To be formal in school,' she replies softly, looking down at her own reflection in her superbly polished shoes.

'And is _yeah_ a formal word?'

'No, daddy. I meant to say yes.'

'Good girl,' he says, reverting to his normal tone, 'As I was saying, you're happy to go to school, so you're not crying. But the kids that are crying are not happy to go to school.'

That must be the most messed up thing Amy has ever heard. Why would a child not want to go to school? Which child would not want to be at a place where they give you tons of work, and grade you accordingly? What person would not want to feel victorious after surpassing another while solving algebraic equations? 

'But why?'

'Well, not everyone has the right perception about school, mija.'

The school bell rings, and both father and daughter can see a swarm of people moving all around. For a minute, it all overwhelms Amy, after all, she's never seen anything like it before. But Victor gently holds her hand, and rubs her arm soothingly.

'I think it's time for you to get seated,' he informs, and Amy nods slowly, while also gripping one strap of her back-pack with her free hand. 

'Oka - I mean, alright, papi.'

'You'll do great; you're a smart girl,' he reminds her, kissing the top of her head as well. Amy, too, doesn't forget to leave a kiss on his cheek, and with a final goodbye, they both go their respective ways. 

As she enters the classroom, Amy can see some parents leaving, while other are still trying to comfort their children. She grimaces a bit as she passes them, still unsure of why they don't like school. It's preposterous to her, and she hopes that they'll enjoy over time. She also frowns once she sees that all the front seats are taken. It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that she wants to be the teacher's pet, and the first step for that would be to sit right in front of them, but that plan is gone now. There is a seat in the second row, though, and it's actually close to the teacher's desk. Perhaps it will do.

'I'm sorry, my sister's sitting there.'

She hasn't even put touched the furniture when she hears someone say that. She looks across to see a girl who must have said it.

'Sorry,' Amy apologizes as she gets up, 'I had no clue.'

'It's okay,' she brushes it off. 'You can sit there,' she says as she points to another empty seat behind the one Amy was originally planning to sit in.

'Thank you,' she says as she moves behind. 'I'm Amy, by the way,' she says, extending a hand.

'Oh, um...' the girl hesitates at first, confusing Amy. She doesn't understand if other people don't know how to shake hands or are just uncomfortable. She presumes it's the latter, becasue the girl eventually does accept her hand. 'I'm Stephanie,' she introduces herself.

'It's nice to meet you, Stephanie. Are you excited about school?'

'Yeah, I am. Me and Alex have been - '

'That's wrong,' Amy interjects.

'What?' she asks, obviously confused at what this new person is telling her.

'You should've said _Alex and I_. You know, to be grammatically correct.'

'Oh, um... Hey, look! Alex's here!' Stephanie says, glad that they can change the subject now.

After a general introductory session with Alex, too, the teacher enters the class, ending all forms of conversations among the kids. Amy's proud of herself so far. She introduced herself wonderfully well, and she taught them something, too. If this is how school's gonna be, she thinks she can nail it.

**2**

It's the absolute worst feeling knowing that your perp has gotten away again. And it's not just the second time, but the fourth time it's happened with the same guy for Amy and Rosa. They both know it sucks, and it does. It well and truly feels terrible. But they just have to keep on telling themselves that it's a part of their job, that they knew was always a possibility since they were cops. But this perp is different.

Naturally, Amy has always looked down on people who disrespect authority. It could be any sort of authority - a cop disrespecting their captain, a student disrespecting their teacher, a child disrespecting their parents. It's just the way she's been brought up: to always respect the rules, because there can be no fun without rules. It might as well run in her veins, because it's actually something that all her family members believe in. So, it's only normal for Amy to lose all respect for those involved in criminal activities, after all they are the ones disrespecting the highest authority of all - the law.

But there's more to that with this perp. Yes, he obviously disrespects the law, too. But there's something more about him that makes Amy's blood curdle as he thinks about him. It happened when they missed him the first time. As if it wasn't bad enough, he left them a note, taunting the detectives. A note that read - _Diaz and Santiago your to late!_

Rosa was livid when she saw it. As Amy recalls, she picked up a stray metal rod and went to break all the glass windows in the abandoned apartment, where they were set to arrest the man. For Amy, though, the note was adding insult to an insult to an injury. Yes, two insults. The first insult was the same that Rosa felt as well - embarrassment. It was embarrassing that a perp was taunting them for failing to catch them. But the second insult hit Amy much, much harder than it hit Rosa. In fact, it probably didn't even hit Rosa at all. 

Grammar mattered to Amy; it mattered to her so much. Yet this guy seemed to have no respect for grammar either. Mentally, she was having a breakdown, perhaps even worse than what Rosa was doing physically. A missing comma, and the wrong forms of 'your' and 'to' were more than enough to send her spiraling. But she couldn't; she had to remain calm, especially with what Rosa was doing right now. But later she could go home and vent about this all in her journal. For now, she'd have to keep quiet and let her partner let out their frustrations.

**3**

If there was one thing Amy was looking forward to this year, it was Valentine's Day. The last three she's had to spend alone, and she can guarantee anyone that it's not a good feeling. But she has a boyfriend now, and that's why she was looking forward to Valentine's Day. But he cancelled his plans for what Amy thinks is the most stupid reason on earth. She's not even sure why she put up with it. She had planned everything for tonight - made the reservations a couple of months back, bought what she was sure was the most revealing dress she ever owned. And if that wasn't enough, she also bought new lingerie for tonight. But now, it was all for waste.

'Santiago? What are you still doing here?'

It's the playful tone of her desk partner's voice that brings her back to reality. She looks up to see him standing with his messenger bag over one shoulder, and his hands are in the pockets of his hoodie. 

'What's wrong, Jake?' she asks, her voice full of annoyance. To be fair, she didn't mean for it to come out that way, but she was just fed up with her boyfriend that she was ready to let her frustrations out on anyone.

'It's 6.'

'I know.'

'P.M.,' he adds.

'Yeah, I know, Jake!' 

This time she doesn't even try to control it. At first she thought he was just gonna drop by to say goodnight, but maybe he just wants to take the piss and annoy her further. But he also probably isn't doing that, because he doesn't know why she's angry and he also take a seat next to her. He isn't smiling, and a not-smiling-Jake is a sure sign that he's not actually in the mood to annoy her.

'Don't you have plans for tonight?' he asks genuinely.

'No,' she replies with a sigh.

'Wow, Santiago, that's a sure way to get someone to break up with you.'

Classic Jake. He knows she's annoyed, and he can definitely feel the tension in the room, so he makes a joke, to lighten it all with humor. It's not something Amy appreciates at the moment, though, which is evident by the way she's glaring at him.

'It's Teddy, alright? He was the one who backed out.'

'Oh, I see... Yeah, 'cause I was wondering why you'd be here on Valentine's Day, in the break room finishing plenty of paperwork.'

'Yeah, well, it sucks... Anyway, enjoy your evening with Sophia.'

Amy hopes he didn't notice the way she said Sophia's name. She's met her a couple of times before, and it's not like they hate each other, but she isn't that fond of Sophia to say the least. As much as she loves to tease Jake and banter with him, she also thinks he could do better than Sophia.

'You wanna talk about it?' 

She looks up from her file, surprised. Again, she was expecting a bye, but apparently Jake's being polite. And she really would want to spend time with him, even if it would be for a few minutes. But he, unlike her, does have plans for tonight, and she can't just derail them because she wants someone to talk to.

'What? About Teddy?' she asks, just for confirmation, and he nods. 'Well, I mean, you'll be late if I do and - '

'No, I won't,' he cuts in quickly, almost too eager to want to spend time with her, 'We've got a reservation and eight, so even if I leave at seven-thirty, I can still make it.'

She looks at him, trying to read his expression and body language. She just can't understand why Jake wants to be here with her right now. He may not have anything planned till eight, but he could still go home and play his Mario Kart or whatever. But as far as she can tell, he's not giving off any signs. Maybe Jake has matured a bit and understands that he should become mature sometimes.

'Alright, well,' she begins, 'I was actually looking forward to tonight, obviously. I'd planned everything and, when I told him about it last week, he seemed interested.. But Teddy just _had to_ go to this pilsners convention, which I didn't even know existed. And now I'm here, doing paperwork like some crazy workaholic, instead of being with my boyfriend.'

'Wait, wait, wait. He had to go to a pilsner's convention? What the fuck even is that?'

'I don't know. He's just obsessed with pilsners, and he just won't fuckin' stop talking about them!'

'And he called you today to tell you about it?'

'Yup.'

'And you just let him go to this stupid convention?'

'Well, yeah, what else was I supposed to do?'

'Oh, I don't know, Amy,' he says sarcastically, 'Maybe just tell him that it's Valentine's Day and that he can't go?'

'I couldn't have done that,' she says with a sigh.

'Why?'

'Because,' she says with greater emphasis, 'He'd just whine the entire night. I mean, he once whined because they changed the menu at a restaurant. I'm definitely not gonna listen to him ramble on and on about fucking pilsners for the whole night. Besides, I'm his girlfriend; I mean, I should support his likes no matter how much I hate them.'

'Not if they make you unhappy,' he tells her, his tone and expression indicating that everything she said was absolute rubbish. 'I mean, it's nice that you support him and all that,' he continues, 'But what about your likes and interests? What about the fact that you plan an entire night for him, and he just takes it for granted. You get just as much a say as he does in a relationship, you know?'

'I suppose...'

'It's more than just a supposition, Amy. You know that.'

'Okay, fine, you're right,' she concedes, 'But it's too late now anyway.'

'Maybe... But hey, make sure he doesn't pull off shit like this the next time, alright? 'Cause, I mean, you don't deserve this, Amy. You work hard, and from what I can tell you're a great girlfriend to Teddy. You deserve much more that some guy backing out of your Valentine's Day plans in the last minute.'

Amy just sits there, looking at Jake in awe. Never in a million years did she expect Jake Peralta to be this mature, or give her relationship advice. It's amazing how he knows so much about her, and cares about her in reality. She cares about him, too, but strictly as a coworker. Well, a little more as a coworker. Maybe as a friend. Well, a teensy bit more than that, too. Okay, she has a little crush on him. But it's just a crush, and she's sure it'll go away. Maybe that's why she was glad to see him enter the break room. Maybe that's why she was glad to see him joining her.

'Thank you,' she says softly.

'Sure,' he says, with a warm smile. 'Now, go home, alright?' he suggests as he gets up, 'Teddy may not be there, but you deserve to rest.'

'Will do,' she replies, a smile creeping on her face now. 'Bye, Jake.'

'Bye, Santiago.'

She watches him leave the breakroom and head straight for the elevator. It's still weird to her how Jake Peralta gave her sane advice. And she also reflects on what he said. Things like how she doesn't 'deserve' to be with a guy who backs out of her plans. It's weird that word - _deserve_. For a moment, she can't even seem to remember what it means. What does it mean that she doesn't _deserve_ Teddy? And who does she _deserve_ then? But maybe Jake was just going along with how she was feeling. Maybe he just said that because he knew right now she was hating Teddy's guts. Because Teddy does deserve her, right? They have similar interests, something which Amy has not shared with most guys she's dated. 

She's brought out of her thoughts when her phone buzzes on the table. She takes a moment to see who it's from.

_'Happy Valentine's Day, babe. Sorry I can't be there. ILY!'_

She furiously slams her phone back down after reading Teddy's text. It's one thing that he can't be bothered to call her, but it's another thing to be absolutely unbothered to send her a full text. As if it's not bad enough that he used an abbreviation, he used it for what were the three most important words in the text. Did it really take up so much of his time to write _I love you_ in words, or was it just a burden for him to tell her that he loved her?

As it later turned out, Jake was right; that was the day she slowly started realizing that it wasn't Teddy who deserved her. And the person who ultimately did deserve her made sure they were together every Valentine's Day, and anniversary, and birthday, and every other special occasion.

Jake also made sure to never use abbreviations in their texts, just to make her happy... and a little horny.

**4 (Or 3 + 1)**

Amy hurls into the toilet for what she hopes will be the last time. But she knows better than that. It's not like it's the first time she's having to deal with morning sickness, and there's still three more months of this. She looks down at her belly, which is quite protruding now. It's amazing to her how she has her son - her son with Jake - growing in there. But there are times when she feels absolutely useless; times like these when she needs to throw up in the toilet at seven on a Saturday morning when, instead, she could have been sleeping and cuddling with her husband. 

It's not that Jake does a bad job of keeping her happy. He does that and so much more. He treats her like a queen, something she will never have to complain about. His attention is on her 24/7. He's been there through thick and thin, even during this pregnancy. She knows she's been crazy at times to say the least. In the first trimester, her mood swings were absolutely bonkers, switching with every minute passing, and Jake just stayed in the same room, obeying and listening to everything she had to say. Another time she made him go to a 24-hour deli, forcing him to buy chorizo and pancetta at 2 in the morning, and he kissed the top of her head before leaving.

But when she reflects back at moments like these, and the one that she's having right now with the morning sickness, she just feels guilty for bothering him with all these ridiculous notions. And right now, Jake is probably in their kitchen, making the most amazing breakfast, just to cheer her up. She also knows that the longer she takes in getting out of the bathroom, the more likely the chances of him bringing breakfast to their bedroom are. She doesn't want to trouble him any more, so she splashes her face at the sink, rinses her mouth to get all the bad taste out, and walks (or much to her dismay, waddles) out.

She just manages to get out of the bathroom when...

'Happy Mother's Day!'

The scene in front of her is more than enough to make her eyes misty with happy tears. She can see her husband holding a big blueberry cake, one of her all time favorites, with a picture of her and their two kids on the top. Mac, meanwhile, is holding a plate of fruits and a glass of juice. Every single thing about him is a carbon copy of his father, and Amy is proud of their four-year old. Anna, their three-year old, is holding a massive gift with what look like cards on the top. It can't be that heavy, her younger child is carrying it with absolute ease after all. It's all more than she could have asked for, especially considering she forgot that it was Mother's Day somehow. She just wants to run over to them and envelope them in a massive hug. But the best she can do is do a fast walk (yes, an actual walk this time).

'Mommy, it's Mother's Day!' Mac announces excitedly as Amy gets back in bed.

'Yes, it is, sweetie,' she says as she ruffles her hair. 'Is all of this for me?'

'Yeah! Daddy cut the fruits. He said we weren't allowed to hold knives.'

'Well, that was very smart,' she says looking up to meet her husband's eyes before sharing a laugh.

'I made the juice!'

'Really? How did you?'

'I opened the carton and poured it!' he declared proudly, obviously a massive achievement for him.

'Wow, I think it's gonna be perfect then,' Amy praises her son as she takes the glass from him and took a sip out of it. Usually, she found juices to be too sweet, what with all the sugar in it. But maybe it was because it overpowered the bitterness that was previously in her mouth that she found it to be just the right antidote. 'I love it! Thank you, baby,' she says before planting a kiss on his head.

'Mommy! I made you a card!' Anna informs quickly, not wanting all the attention to go only to her brother.

'Ooh! Let me see! Let me see!' Amy says excitedly as she reaches out for it.

She can see _HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY_ scribbled across the front page in her daughter's messy handwriting. She opens the card to see a series of pictured draw on either side - some of her and Jake, some of just her, some of all four of them. Regardless of who else is in the picture or not, she can see that Anna has made a round belly for her, showing the baby bump. The last page has the words _BY ANNA PERALTA-SANTIAGO_ scribbled across, just like in the first page. Amy doesn't even try to hide the fact that she's crying now. It's the first solo present she's received from her, and she couldn't be more proud of her. Without saying a word, she pulls her daughter in for a hug.

'Did you like it, Mommy? Did you like all the pictures I drawed for you?'

'Anna, it's not _drawed_ ,' Mac corrects, 'It's - '

'Mac, she's just three; she'll learn herself,' Amy cuts him off, but not too hard to make him feel bad. She then turns down to her daughter before saying, 'Anna, I love it so much. I'm gonna keep this at my desk at work, next to Mac's, okay?'

'Okay, Mommy. Now, you're present,' the little girl says as she turns around to reach for the said present.

'Oh, honey, I'll open my present, don't worry. But I see that Daddy made this big cake. Don't you want to eat the cake first?'

'Yes! Cake!'

'Cake first!'

It's not often that Amy Santiago lets her children eat cheesecake for breakfast. It's not often she lets them have breakfast in bed either. So today is definitely a special day for both events to be occurring together. But Jake has a question of his own to ask her.

'Hey, you feeling alright?' he asks, and by his tone, he sounds genuinely concerned.

'Yeah, why?'

'Just that you were fine when Anna said _drawed_... I mean, you'd have berated me if I were the one to have said that.'

'Yeah, well, for one thing, you're not a three-year old. But also, there are more important things than grammar.'

'Really?' he teases, 'Like what?'

'Hmm... Let's see...' she plays along, wrapping one arm around his neck in the process. 'Like having an awesome husband who makes me feel special everyday... Or having two kids who wish me on Mother's Day... Or,' she places one of his hands on her belly, 'Being pregnant with a baby.'

'Baby! I wanna touch baby!' Anna shouts excitedly, having overheard her parents' conversation.

'Me first! Me first!' Mac shouts.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know how you liked it. Comments and kudos are so very treasured, but never demanded.
> 
> Also, I just joined Tumblr, same name (dolston17). So, if any of you wanna like talk about B99 stuff there or about Peraltiago fluff, you can find me there. Although I must say, I've never been so great with new... anything really, so I'm still getting adjusted to Tumblr. Still, you can reach out to me there.
> 
> Also, if you were/are following my Forbidden Love work, don't worry, I've not forgotten it. Just won't be posting anything there till after my exams. You can leave requests there of you wish too, or even on Tumblr now.
> 
> Thank you, have a great day/night!


End file.
